Article sorting equipment for a logistics platform

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10358300-B2
Application number	US-201815962425-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 25, 2018
Priority date	May 4, 2017
Publication date	Jul 23, 2019
Grant date	Jul 23, 2019

Abstract

Article sorting equipment of the invention comprises a flat conveyor of the chain type having carrier links configured to convey articles towards sorting outlets in a certain conveying direction. The links are mounted to slide on the chain transversely relative to the conveying direction and the sorting outlets are disposed under the links of the chain, one after another in the conveying direction. The links are also arranged to come out from under the articles when they are slid so as to cause the articles to fall into the sorting outlets. A monitoring and control unit for monitoring and controlling the sorting equipment is also configured to cause the links to slide as a function of the sorting outlets into which the articles are to be sorted.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An article sorting equipment comprising a flat conveyor of the chain type having carrier slats configured to convey articles towards sorting outlets in a certain conveying direction, said carrier slats being mounted to slide on the chain transversely relative to said conveying direction between a deployed position and a retracted position, said article sorting equipment being characterized in that the sorting outlets are disposed under the carrier slats of the chain, one outlet after another in said conveying direction when the carrier slats are in the deployed position, and said carrier slats are arranged to come out from under the articles when the slats are slid into the retracted position so as to cause the articles to fall into the sorting outlets, the sorting equipment further comprising a monitoring and control unit configured to cause the carrier slats to slide as a function of the sorting outlets into which the articles are to be sorted, and in that the conveyor further comprises an abutment of the “comb” type on the chain that is configured to allow the carrier slats to slide and to prevent the transverse movement of the articles on the slats beyond the abutment.

2. The sorting equipment according to claim 1 , wherein for each sorting outlet, the conveyor further comprises a switch system configured to guide the sliding of a plurality of carrier slats disposed over the sorting outlet.

3. The sorting equipment according to claim 2 , wherein each switch system causes the carrier slats to slide simultaneously.

4. The sorting equipment according to claim 2 , wherein each switch system causes the carrier slats to slide progressively along the conveying direction.

5. The sorting equipment according to claim 4 , wherein the sorting equipment further comprises another flat conveyor of the chain type having carrier slats, the two conveyors being disposed symmetrically side-by-side in the conveying direction and being arranged to convey each article on the slats of said two conveyors, and in that the monitoring and control unit is configured to cause the slats of said other conveyor to slide as a function of the sorting outlets into which the articles are to be sorted so that the mutually facing slats of the two conveyors are slid simultaneously.

6. The sorting equipment according to claim 3 , wherein the sorting equipment further comprises another flat conveyor of the chain type having carrier slats, the two conveyors being disposed symmetrically side-by-side in the conveying direction and being arranged to convey each article on the slats of said two conveyors, and in that the monitoring and control unit is configured to cause the slats of said other conveyor to slide as a function of the sorting outlets into which the articles are to be sorted so that the mutually facing slats of the two conveyors are slid simultaneously.

7. The sorting equipment according to claim 2 , wherein the sorting equipment further comprises another flat conveyor of the chain type having carrier slats, the two conveyors being disposed symmetrically side-by-side in the conveying direction and being arranged to convey each article on the slats of said two conveyors, and in that the monitoring and control unit is configured to cause the slats of said other conveyor to slide as a function of the sorting outlets into which the articles are to be sorted so that the mutually facing slats of the two conveyors are slid simultaneously.

8. The sorting equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the sorting equipment further comprises another flat conveyor of the chain type having carrier slats, the two conveyors being disposed symmetrically side-by-side in the conveying direction and being arranged to convey each article on the slats of said two conveyors, and in that the monitoring and control unit is configured to cause the slats of said other conveyor to slide as a function of the sorting outlets into which the articles are to be sorted so that the mutually facing slats of the two conveyors are slid simultaneously.

Assignees

• Solystic

Inventors

• Rieu Jean

Classifications

• B65G47/38

  by dumping, tripping, or releasing load carriers (by flexing or tilting travelling structures B65G47/94) · CPC title

• B65G47/78 Primary

  Troughs having discharge openings and closures {(in air-slides B65G53/20)} · CPC title

• B65G17/005 Primary

  comprising individual load carriers which are movably mounted (B65G17/16 takes precedence) · CPC title